5 Frugal Lessons I Learned from My Parents

How My Upbringing has Helped Shape Our Frugal Family Culture

I was raised in Northern California, in an outdoor paradise, full of mountains, rivers, and lakes. My parents, who are still together, after over 50 years, taught my 3 older siblings and I lots of lessons, of course. My siblings and I are all still strong Christians and are raising our children in similar ways. My parents were also very frugal, which has also been passed down. Here are 5 lessons that I learned from my parents that have drastically influenced our own family about living frugally.

1. The Importance of Creativity

Both of my parents are very creative, and are both “makers”. My mother can paint very well, and comes up with ideas to transform everyday items into something that looks expensive. My father is a “maker”. Growing up we would joke that he was like MacGyver, because he could make something out of nothing.

It was instilled early on that you don’t have to buy things outright to get what you need. You can make it. Christmas decorations, games, handyman projects are all examples of this. Even to this day, my parents do most of the decorating for their local Vacation Bible School. Last week they made tree trunks out of carpet rolls someone gave them, a hot glue gun for texture, and paint 🙂

2. The Value of Staying Home

My mother was a stay-at-home-mother who also worked from home. I never had to go to daycare or preschool. I was able to be home and play as much as I wanted. My parents were able to save so much money by not having me in daycare, as well as the benefits to me of being able to stay home.

I grew up in the late 80’s and 90s, and played with Cabbage Patch, and My Little Ponies. I turned my dog into a doll, and would push it around in a doll stroller. I got to play so much.

3. Buy Used and Resell it When You are Done

My parents were, and still are, yard sale hounds. They love a good deal. I learned early on that it is possible to find great, quality items for much less if you buy it used rather than new. I also learned that you can often times resell it for more than you originally payed for it when you are done with it.

My parents still go to yard sales every single week. They also frequently have their own yard sales and that is how they pay for their cruises now that they are retired.

4. Fun Doesn’t Have to Be Fancy

I had parents who loved going on adventures as a family together. We frequently camped and hiked, spending lots of times in the woods or at lakes. Some of the best stories I have now, are when things didn’t go as planned, maybe the old motorhome broke down, or our tent got a hole. Fun, adventure stories happen way more often when you aren’t as fancy, in my opinion.

5. Family First

Growing up, our family chose to spend lots of time together. We played card games and board games and spent so much time swimming and biking all together. Choosing family time over working more hours benefitted my siblings and I in the long run.

Now that we are older, we still all get along very well, and it probably is because we spent so much quality time together as a family. Even though we all live in different parts of the country, we try to get together once a year. We all cram together in my parents’ house, people sleeping on the floor because there aren’t enough beds, and all of the cousins spend time playing together.

Frugal Living Done Right

If done right, frugal living can create a family legacy that can be passed on through generations. It did for my family. I also think of the large Mennonite community near where we are currently living in Virginia. They have very frugal traditions that have been passed down for multiple generations. I am working on learning more of those skills from friends in the area and keep building my frugal muscles.

What are some frugal living skills that you learned from your family growing up?